


Fire and Ice

by LilianRoses



Series: Ice-Covered Earth [4]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Best Friends, Cute, Damn it Viktor, Elemental Magic, Fluff, M/M, Otabek is Chill, Yuuri Is So Done, yuri is angry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-10-09 23:58:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10424733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilianRoses/pseuds/LilianRoses
Summary: All Yuri Plisetsky wanted was for his stupid cousin to teach him how to control his powers. He did not need to know why, nor did his pig of a husband.And no, Otabek had nothing to do with it!





	

**Author's Note:**

> Beka's crown is in the ending notes! As always, comments make me happy inside! Please leave one! ^v^/

\-----

Viktor tilted his head in confusion. But his cousin did not repeat himself, or make any changes to his words. Yuri Plisetsky still sat there looking for all the world like an irritated kitten.

 

"Controlling your powers? Hasn't Yakov been teaching you how to do that?"

 

Yuri rolled his eyes.

 

"That old fart has been teaching me how to freeze shit if I want to. But I want to do what you do. You know, go out into the sunlight and shit like that."

 

That didn't really clear up any of Viktor's confusion. For as long as he'd known Yuri (which was for most of his young life), the youth had what appeared to be an irrational hatred for the sun. He thought those who enjoyed spending time in the presence of something that could burn you (or in their case, even melt you) were idiots. He wore hoods everywhere he went and kept his hair long. He also insisted on wearing heavy, fur capes that covered mostly everything unlike Viktor's thinner, lighter ones. But if Yuri was maturing, and trying to get over his issues with the flaming orb in the sky, who was he to stop him?

 

"Well...I do not really put much thought into it. I just make sure to keep myself cool, drink plenty of liquids, and maybe wear a light cloak if I'm going to sit outside for a long period of time. It's not something you practice, it's something you put effort into. I wil not lie to you-it will be uncomfortable the first few times you try it. It helped that I had something to focus on; a reason I was putting myself through it. It made it easier."

 

Yuri scoffed.

 

"Piggy. Am I correct?"

 

Viktor frowned at the disrespectful nickname, but his flower had only shushed him when he had complained to him about it. He didn't mind it, and Yuri was still an angry child. Viktor smirked.  _An angry child._ Yuri would have a _fit_ if he heard that description. Yuri scowled harder at the smile that appeared on his moronic cousin's face. He should have known better than to come to  _him_ for advice. Before he could rise from his seat and scream all the way out the door, Viktor grabbed his wrist, halting him. He stopped, still fuming.

 

"Answer me this, Yuri. You've always despised the sun. What is your reason for the sudden change of heart?"

 

A face flashed across his mind, and he yanked his hand away.

 

"That's none of your damn business, baldy. Will you teach me or not?"

 

Viktor smiled in the most annoying way Yuri had ever seen.

 

"All I can do is give you tips,  _Yura!_ I still haven't completely warmed my own spirit, yet!"

"What."

"I really am sorry, Yuri. If you want to really learn something, you should talk to Yuuri about it! He has helped me quite a bit!"

 

When Yuuri came to investigate the crashing coming from the sitting room, he was witness to his childish husband and his irate younger cousin running around, knocking things over. Yuri was screaming in what was obviously the Ice Country's native tongue, because Viktor was laughing as though he understood every word perfectly.

 

He could only sigh.

\-----

Yuuri sat across from Yuri, waiting for the young ice spirit to speak.

 

While Viktor got to work cleaning the mess in the sitting room ( _because there is no doubt you started it, Vitya),_ muttering about familial betrayal and husband-stealing, Yuuri had smiled calmly, offered some tea, and lead him into his garden room. Yuri did intimidate him a bit, to be honest. He seemed to be very easily irritated, so hopefully the calming scent of the various herbs and the sound of the small fountain would soothe his temper a bit. It usually helped with his anxiety, so...

 

Yuri glared at him. He was angry...and confused. Why the hell was this earthen spirit helping him? He'd been nothing but hostile to him. Was he stupid? He wasn't even asking him any questions. He was just sitting there. It was actually a little creepy. All of the plants sort of...leaned towards him. Like they were  _friends_ or some shit. He couldn't take it anymore.

 

"Look. Can you really help me 'warm my spirit' or whatever the hell Viktor was saying?"

 

Yuuri just kept smiling, and laughed a little. For some reason, his laugh didn't make him want to _immediately_ punch him in the jaw. Like Viktor's did, the unhelpful dick.

 

"Is that what he calls it? I suppose so. But really, all I did was help him get used to no longer being surrounded by ice all the time. It was more similar to _thawing_ than _warming._ "

"Whatever. I just need someone to teach me how to go warm places without getting sick. And seeing as how you're the only asshole I know who grew up in a warm place, I guess you'll have to do."

 

He chose to ignore the weird feeling in his stomach when Yuuri just nodded.

\-----

Otabek hung up his everyday-gear and cape, and put his sword down next to his bed.

 

He flopped onto the couch in his room, and let out a huff since he was alone. It had been a long day of doing things he didn't enjoy (endless meetings and paperwork) with people he didn't enjoy (he was pretty much JJ's babysitter at this point) for a person who's company he didn't particularly enjoy (King Michele kept accusing everyone of wanting to steal his sister's innocence). Life had been so much simpler when he was a regular soldier, but then Michele had taken over the throne and asked him to assume the position of a militant-diplomat.

 

(He didn't really understand the purpose of such a position if diplomats were meant to keep the peace. His Royalty had bluntly stated that JJ was going to start a fight that they couldn't talk their way out of one day, so it was better to have someone with battle experience on hand.) 

 

He couldn't exactly say no, so he had ignored the envious, angry glares of his fellow soldiers and assumed his new position. It was on one of his many travels that he had, once again, met Yuri Plisetsky. He had met him only once before, when they were both small children, although he was two or three years older. His father was a blacksmith, possibly the greatest in the Fire Lands, and he was joining him on a journey to help sell their weapons. 

 

He was not impressed by the other children of royal and noble blood. They all looked soft and fragile, and their hands didn't have any marks from hard work like his father's did. And then he'd met Yuri. Unlike the other children, his face was angry and dissatisfied. Nothing any of the handmaids or butlers offered him seemed to please him. He was not bought over by shiny trinkets or expensive toys, and every attempt to talk to him made him retreat farther into his heavy cloak. And then he'd seen his hands. They were wrapped in bandages from wrist to fingertips.

 

He had asked what had happened to them, and was at first ignored, and then threatened. When he hadn't left, still choosing his presence over the other children, he had muttered that he had been trying to do magic like his older cousin could. They kept telling him that his hands were too small, and that the skin was too soft. He ignored them, and wound up with frost-burns all over his hands. But he still wanted to try again, until he could do magic better than that ' _idiot Viktor could'_.

 

(He had decided from then on that he liked Yuri.)

 

As he grew older, it became apparent that the life of a blacksmith would not suit him, so he decided to become a soldier instead. He didn't have the natural talent for controlling his element, but he'd spent his entire childhood around weapons, and could use them, which made up for it. And then there he was (babysitting JJ once more), face-to-face with Yuri Plisetsky. It was obvious that he didn't recognize him (although he didn't expect him to, he was fairly young when they first met), but he'd remember that cloak and scowl anywhere. The Ice Country had been destroyed, and an evil spirit banished to the Dark Mountains. And yet there he was, having stood outside instead of taking shelter like the other nobility.

 

(Because of course he had.)

 

They had spoken for a while, and he soon recognized him. He was happy for someone who wasn't  _'fat or old or both to talk to',_ and pretty soon they were telling stories about what had happened during their years apart. He had asked to try his sword, but he had to deny him that experience, because Yakov would have his head if a noble lost a hand on his watch. He had given him some sort of contraption so they could further keep in touch. It looked like a regular hand mirror without the handle, but Yuri had swiped a hand over it, and an image had shimmered into existence over it. He called it a 'table mirror', and apparently only the former Ice Country had them because the  _'fuckers were super hard to make and really fucking expensive'_.

 

(Because of course they were.)

 

Anyway, he swiped his hand over it, and the image swirled into clarity. Pretty soon, Yuri's face was visible. Just seeing it relaxed him, and he chose not to think to hard on why that was.

 

"Yuri."

"Hey, Beka."

 

Yuri called him 'Beka' for some reason. But he had heard some of the nicknames others had received, and was grateful.

 

"You look like shit."

 

 _'I'm worried about you'_ , in Yuri Speak.

 

"I feel like it. I don't even know why JJ has a job."

 

This sent him off on a tangent. He didn't mind. He was a man of very few words, and Yuri didn't mind filling in the blanks. But then he noticed something. He thought it might be his table mirror, but he'd never had that problem before.

 

"Yuri...are you  _tanned?"_

 

Yuri immediately went silent, but he had already noticed it. His normally alabaster skin was definitely more of a honeydew now. 

 

"How is that possible? You wear your cloak everywhere you go."

 

The pieces started falling into place, and Otabek sighed.

 

"Yuri. I told you that you don't have to make yourself suffer for me."

"But you always come to see me! You're from the  _Fire Lands,_ for shit's sake! And you come and visit the Flora Country even when I  _know_ it is too cold for you."

"That's different. I'm-"

"You are what? Bigger? Older? Stronger? Fuck that, Beka. Even if I am a noble, I'm not made of glass. And if I want to take lessons from Piggy on how to handle the heat of the sun-"

 

 _Piggy...Piggy..._ ah. Yuuri. Calm, patient, and not very easily offended. He'd have a decent teacher, at least.

 

"-I fucking will. Because maybe I  _want_ to see the Fire Lands. Grab some decent clothing, meet a tiger-"

 

By _'decent clothing',_ he meant how the most popular colors were black, red, and gold if you were high up enough. He didn't know why he was obsessed with tigers, though. But he had mentioned that the Flora Country had nowhere near as many predators as the Fire Lands. Yuri had looked confused, so he had given a few examples. Bears, wolves, tigers, etc. He had mentioned that tigers were enormous cats with deadly claws and humongous fangs, his face had positively  _lit up._ He wanted to meet one.

 

(Because of course he did.)

 

"-and see you in person again. I miss you, you big lug."

 

Otabek blinked. He was thrown off-kilter. Yuri didn't really admit things like that. Maybe living in the Flora Country was calming him somehow. 

 

"And Piggy suggested I make one of these whenever I want to strangle Viktor, which is often, so I made you one. I'm going to send it to you, so you better wear it, you hear me?"

 

Otabek looked at the flower crown. It was simple, and nowhere near as ornate as some of the ones he'd seen Yuuri make. The flowers were red, and were woven together with simple vines and leaves. He noted with a little smile that it matched his uniform. 

 

"I will."

\-----

(And if anyone had any complaints about a high-ranking officer walking around wearing a flower crown, well, they were too shocked that the stony-faced man was wearing one in the first place.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you're curious about Beka's crown, it's made with red zinnia (thoughts of absent friends), black geraniums (true friendship, and yes, this color is possible if you're skilled enough), and woven with the ever popular ivy (continuing friendship). 
> 
> How sweet.


End file.
